There’s a new Bentley and it’s topless, gorgeous and the rarest two-door the luxury automaker has made in recent years. It’s called the Bacalar and is designed and built by Mulliner, Bentley’s in-house coachbuilder.
The vehicle’s name comes from a tropical turquoise-colored lake in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula and follows the brand’s tradition of naming their vehicles after picturesque locales and landmarks, which first rolled out in 2015 with the Bentayga SUV.
Just twelve examples of the Bacalar will be built and all have already been spoken for.
From Concept To Reality
The car is based on a Continental GT Convertible but shares no exterior body panels the droptop. Rather, much of its design inspiration comes from the EXP 100 GT, a concept car Bentley showed off last summer.
Open Air Motoring
The most striking exterior element on this grand tourer is the vehicle’s roofless design. The open-air cockpit harkens to Bentley’s of the past, specifically the Birkin Blower Bentley of the late 1920s. Aluminum was used to craft the rear clamshell and top deck while the doors and fenders are made of carbon fiber. Designers also used 3D printing, too, to craft a truly district look.
The wraparound cockpit features a steeply angled center console, which flows up and around towards a semi-enclosed rear luggage area. Bentley worked with Schedoni, an Italian luggage company, who designed exclusive optional luggage which matches the trim and materials found in the rest of the car’s cabin.
Other touches inside include a new, knurled pattern for the heating and cooling vents, which come finished in Dark Bronze with Midnight Black Titanium detailing. As with the rest of the car, customers will work closely with the Mulliner team to design their dream interior. As such, any of Bentley’s colors and materials will be available for use.
A D-shaped steering wheel is new and features Alcantara inserts. It matches a gear-shifter which comes with Dark Bronze detailing. Other bespoke touches include a unique clock face, complete with numbered badging.
Sustainable Materials
Bentley worked hard to incorporate sustainable materials into the vehicle. On the dash, reclaimed Riverwood is used, which is lumber found in the Fenlands of East Anglia, England,. It’s unique in that it has been preserved for centuries in peat bogs, lakes and rivers. It boasts a striking black aesthetic and is air-dried in a controlled environment before installation.
Other innovative materials come through the use of rice husk ash which Bently claims to give the paint a rich natural shine.
Power Upgrades
Under the vehicle’s hood is Bentley’s 6.0-liter, twin-turbocharged W12 TSI engine. It gets paired to a dual-clutch, eight-speed transmission. The powertrain has been tuned to deliver slightly more output, now rated at 650 horsepower and 667 lb-ft of torque.
Moving Ahead
The Bacalar’s entrance also marks a new phase for Bentley’s Mulliner division, which is broken into three distinct parts: Classic, Collections and Coachbuilt. Classic will offer vintage vehicle restorations while Collections will continue to work with customers to build luxury-focused versions of existing Bentley models. Coachbuilt will focus on low-volume projects like the Bacalar.
